It’s been a long while since I’ve blogged. Some things happened that shook me up. My expectations were blown to pieces, I got knocked out and didn’t even know what hit me, and, now, I’ve woken up a slightly different person than I used to be. I can’t go back to the way things once were. It seems I’m not going to post about manga that much anymore. The only story I follow these days is “Kuroshitsuji”. I’ve quit the photography club I’ve been part of for two years. I’ve quit my addiction to a certain person and started a new one with cigarettes. I changed the color of my hair only a few hours ago. But some things have remained the same. I’m still in love with photography and I intend to learn more despite not having access to the perks of being part of an organization. I’m still writing – I always have – and I’m keeping a new journal. I’m still a music person. I haven’t changed for the worse, I guess, because I still have my true, loyal, and gentle friends. Oh well, the only question left is, “What’s next?”

Fans of Barkadahan Grill will lament because the restaurant had burned down last Easter Sunday. I went to DV-soria, CdeO at around 3 pm yesterday and saw a sizable crowd fussing in the area near the restaurant. It turns out there was a big fire and the firefighters had controlled it by the time I arrived. The top floor of Barkadahan Grill was was turned to ashes and its charred remains had fallen down. The same happened to the second floor of the store right beside it. The second floor of Hanabel Bakeshoppe was also caught in the fire and a lot of damage was done. I’m not sure if anybody was harmed but, hopefully, no lives were lost in this unfortunate incident.

Today, woke up at around 5 am but I still missed my 8:45 am class because I was so engrossed in the movie “3 Idiots”. It’s a comedy but there were dramatic parts that got to me and I cried hard. It’s also about the education system of India and the love of learning. Get the irony? Hehe… But that isn’t the most eventful part of my day. I actually tried to catch up to my class this morning but I still got to XU very late. So I just bought some takeout and went back to my apartment in a jeepney.

Aha! The plot thickens!

There were several other passengers in the jeepney. One of them was an old man who looked well-to-do. He’s the victim. I’m pretty sure I’m not the snatcher caused all I noticed about him was that the crocodile on his Lacoste shirt had started to come off. I didn’t see that he had on a necklace that may or may not be of considerable value. That was the target of the snatchers. Yes, it was a group of young men who dropped themselves off at Sto. Niño at the back of Cogon market. But, before they walked away from the jeep, they had already threatened the old man and the passengers beside him to shut up or they would stab them with a knife. The passengers got so scared they shoved back into the jeepney – where I was sitting. Being the Human Who Doesn’t Give A Damn, I got surprised by this sudden increase of physical pressure on my person!

It turns out one the snatchers was the guy I saw who was wearing a scarf around his head that had the colors green and yellow. Hey, even criminals have some fashion sense!

Nobody was hurt by the snatchers and the victim wasn’t so fussy about it. He was probably just relieved they let him live. Moral of the story: don’t wear expensive jewelry in public places and, as an added measure, avoid carrying a lot of cash on errands. And, as my parents always advise, don’t fight back when you’re in the same situation. You’ll only get hurt. Unless you’re a Kung Fu master! Yowzah!

Oh! Fate is so cruel! Yesterday started out just fine. I finally got around to giving my cat a much-needed bath. Then I was able to get a ride to CdeO for the regular fare price, which saved me money. I had newly laundered clothes. But then, later at National Bookstore Ketkai, I got a paper cut! Ouch! And still later, my PC broke down just when I was working on my thesis proposal and enjoying the Internet! But, oh well, I could use the laptop for my thesis proposal. No one was going to help me so late at night so I slept on it. I thought I could still use the remaining hours on my USB Broadband Modem in the morning but it just won’t work on the goddamn laptop! ARRRGH! But, later on, to the tune of techno trance, I realized moping around won’t help. I’ll canvas for PC repair and beg my mom to give me extra money for it. Hahayyy…

My mom says that Good Friday should be reserved for religious activities like going to church and joining the prayers for the day of Jesus Christ’s death. But I’m not religious and yesterday was a good day for a bike ride – cool weather and cloudy skies with no rain. Actually, I wanted to capture with my camera the gorgeous sunsets that come during summers in my area. However, the weather that Friday wasn’t exactly summer weather, and I had no such luck with my original goal. So I took advantage of the even muted lighting and resorted to floral and object photography instead.

Coldplay was on Repeat in my mp3 player and the songs made biking more enjoyable. Also, gravity is on your side so it’s easy to go downhill away from my house, and I got really far. I left the house at 4 pm and decided to turn back at around 6 pm. Eeep! It was already dark. Gravity was now against me so the uphill journey back home wasn’t so smooth. I don’t exercise regularly anymore so my endurance was way down. I had to take breaks and walk while pushing my bicycle. 6:30 pm and I was still a long way from home. My bike got stuck in a ditch for a moment. No stars were out and there was no moon because it was still so cloudy. I moved against the traffic so I could see the lights on approaching vehicles and avoid them. I pushed on through the night. Fortunately, I brought water, so I wasn’t in danger of getting dehydrated. Finally, I reached our house at around 7:30 pm.

Moral of the story: don’t be too complacent. Through my trek back home, I was in constant danger of getting into an accident or taken advantage of because I was just by myself on that lonely highway. And bring water and snacks. And your guts! Hah!

The founder is now too weak to fight back against Masamori. Suigetsu appears and confronts him for the truth. The past is filled with tragedy and pain. The Spell to destroy the world was activated but it is halted by the Lord of Hakuma.

Mira releases her demon form when her opponent takes Lisanna hostage. She has 3 minutes before her sister's bindings explode and kill her. But she doesn't have enough of both power and time so she resorts to sacrificing herself to save her sister.

Daemon shakes off his facade and reveals that he used Julie Katou as his vessel. He has manipulated Shimon all along. He was also the one who set up the first boss of Shimon and annihilated his family because he perceived them as a threat to Vongola.

A member from the Osaka team bears a surprise gift for Masaru. And another one of Kei's allies explains that Gantz can no longer bring people back to life or heal their injuries. This is a battle between life and death for both sides as the alien invaders are also homeless beings determined to make Earth their new home.

Ichigo is at a loss for ideas on how to activate his Fullbring ability. Chad helps him but just when he pulls out the necessary item the timer on his opponent - the stuffed pig - sets off and releases Mad Beast Mode.

Kojima studies Ippo for their upcoming match. Ippo has forgotten about his reaction to the outrageous things his challenger said in a magazine. His training helped him to keep a cool head. Takamura has appeared again after a long absence to show off his new skills.

Nami is found at Pappug's flagship clothing store. Since she is his friend she is allowed to get what she wants for free. Of course, she and the others practice no restraint. The Mermaid King Neptune came to invite the Straw Hat pirates to his palace, which shocks his own citizens. Meanwhile, the New Fishman Pirates Captain Hodi Jones punishes the humans who tried to escape from him. He dreams of taking over Fishman Island and taking down the entire human race.

The Straw Hat Crew Pirates, Pappug, and their mermaid friend are amazed at the Ryuguu Kingdom's Main Palace. But Luffy, as usual, is distracted by the smell of good food. He unwittingly stumbles into the mermaid princess' quarters. Despite being a beautiful giant, she is shocked and scared witless by his sudden intrusion.

Ichigo begins his first day of training to revive his shinigami powers. The first challenge is given by the loud, brash, and airheaded Riruka. Her Fullbring power is "Dollhouse" and she can insert or pull out anyone she thinks is cute or awesome into her dollhouse full of living toys.

Hibari and the Detective Kids have realized that Masao-kun is asking for help and that someone has to rescue his mother who was confined in the toilet. But the culprits had monitored their conversation and they were almost tied up and hurt by them. Fortunately, Conan came with Detective Takagi, who rescued them and arrested the culprits.